Online Christian Dating: Advice on How to Start

Many Christian singles are interested in using an online Christian dating site like eHarmony, but are unsure of how or where to start. Other singles have tried online Christian dating, but are looking for some dating advice on how to improve their internet dating experiences.

The following step by step online dating guide will help single Christians through the online Christian dating maze.

Of course, we’re assuming that you’ve already gone to the Lord in prayer over this issue.

Online Christian Dating Guide

Identify your Goals

Before scouring the many internet dating sites, understand what it is you are looking to achieve.

Asking yourself the following questions will help your dating search process while saving you tons of time: Are you simply looking for a Christian penpal or Christian chatroom partner? Are you seeking a casual date or courtship and long term relationship culminating in marriage? Does your date have to live locally, or are you copacedic with long distance dating relationships?

Get Educated About Online Dating Safety

Online Christian dating is no longer a taboo subject in the church. Millions of Christians worldwide are trying online dating because there are many benefits, and they are having wonderful results.

However, like any other dating scenario, there are pitfalls to avoid. Reading about safety dating tips for Christian singles will help ensure a great time.

Choose Reputable Online Dating Sites

This is where you can really waste a lot of time (and money) if you’re not careful. Because there is so much junk out there, it is important to understand what makes a good online Christian dating site.

The following online dating sites are those that most Christians use. Since all offer free trial memberships, and have good search databases where you can meet the kind of date you are looking for, we recommend signing up for free at several to get acquainted with the features. Afterwards, you can join the one you feel most suits your needs.

Chat on Meetic UK: Chat with singles in your area
Christian Mingle-Sign up Today

Christian Cafe
Christian Cupid- Asia, South America, UK, Africa, Australia, Europe, Russia, Canada, USA
eHarmony
Perfectmatch
FREE Yahoo Personals
Rencontres avec Meetic France

Write a Great Online Dating Profile

After you have chosen an online dating service, you will want to write a captivating dating profile that will attract the kind of singles you are hoping to meet.

Two of the most important components of your dating profile besides the body, where you will talk about how wonderful you are, is your dating screen name and dating photo.

Why are are these so important? It’s simple. Your dating screen name and dating photo are the very first things single Christians will see before deciding whether or not to click on to read the rest of your Christian profile. If you mess these up, very few people will be contacting you, so spend some time in order to make these as attractive as possible.

Prepare For Your First Online Communication

Whether you are replying to sombody else’s online Christian dating ad, or you are getting back to someone who has clicked on yours, you need to learn good communication skills.

Good communication is key to any successful online and offline dating relationship. Along these lines, practicing proper email etiquette for dating and learning good conversation starter skills can help you get started on the right track.

Enjoy Your First In Person Date

It’s natural to experience a little nervousness on your first date. In order to ensure things run smoothly, be sure to read dating tips on first date do’s and don’t’s. If you are at a loss over what to do on your date, checking out some creative dating ideas may help get the wheels turning.

Are you a Christian single with your own experience to share about online Christian dating?

Related Posts:

Attracting the Right Man or Woman to Date
Commitment Phobia and Singles
Pathological Liars: Are You Dating a Liar?
Fears That Keep Men and Women Single

Return to Christian-Dating-Service-PLUS Home

Online Christian Dating or Courtship?

Recently, a pastor friend of mine explained why he is not only against online Christian dating, but also the concept of dating in general. While he did not come out and say that dating is unbiblical (there are some Christians who feel this way), he argued that it cheapens the courtship process and encourages single Christians to enter casual relationships that are here today and gone tomorrow.

The pastor started out by rightly reminding me that dating is a relatively new phenomenon of the last hundred years or so. Before that time, singles were said to court one another. Courtship was not a casual thing to do on a Friday night, but a serious process whereby the families of the single gal and single guy decide whether or not marriage should be the end result. Romance and personal choice took a back seat to practicality: Is he able to support her? Does she cook, sew well and love children? Do the families make a good fit?

Overall, my friend feels the courtship system is much more advantageous than the present system of dating:

• Courtship will save singles from entering casual relationships where sexual impurity and heartache can occur.
• Since courtship is more or less supervised by the families, singles have less a chance to make wrong, harmful and impulsive decisions.
• Courtship encourages commitment to one person, which carries over into the Christian marriage relationship.

Dating and Courtship is Not an Either/Or Proposition

I had several responses for my pastor friend. The first sentences came out this way: Get real! While the idea of an old-fashioned courtship has some virtue in it, how many twenty-something or thirty-something Christian singles would buy into such a system? How many Christian families would be willing to make a courtship covenant? A solution must be realistic if it is to be the norm.”

Secondly, Christian dating does not have to devolve into the  sex sin relationships that we see in the world. Christian dating services fill a need that many families and churches are not meeting. So why condemn all forms of dating just because the world abuses it?

I have one dear friend who met her fiance though an online Christian matchmaking site. Their two year long distance dating relationship has been anything but casual, but a conscious process leading toward marriage. Before committing in person they had spent over six months just communicating on a heart level via e-mail. Afterwards, they both met each other’s families, who approved of the relationship. Each party also enlisted the help of their respective pastors and friends to help them through the engagement process. I am happy to say that my friend is getting married this coming June (and I am singing in the wedding).
Here we have an example of a single Christian couple who used an online Christian dating service, but incorporated elements of the courtship process by seeking advice from their families and churches.

The lesson here? Dating and Courtship does not have to be an either/or proposition for Christian singles. It’s possible to combine the best of both. So what are your thoughts about online Christian dating and courtship? Do you take an either/or stand on the issue?

Return to Christian-Dating-Service-Plus-Home